# 119-s-5003: ACCESS Rural America Act

119-s-5003, ACCESS Rural America Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-02).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5003
- As of: 2026-08-02
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5003
- Congress: 119
- Title: ACCESS Rural America Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-15
- Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-02

## Summary

**Easier capital access for rural broadband providers**. This bill would create a narrow exemption from Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act for securities issued by rural telephone companies that provide broadband, if they meet precise reporting, ownership, and subscriber thresholds. - Rural telephone companies would be able to offer certain securities without Section 12(g) registration if they file a financial summary within 120 days after their fiscal year and have no more than 100,000 broadband subscribers in the United States. - Investors and holders would get required disclosures including a consolidated balance sheet, consolidated income statement, subscriber data, and any other financially material information the Securities and Exchange Commission requires. - The Securities and Exchange Commission would retain a public-interest and investor-protection role because the exemption depends on the issuer’s timely delivery and public filing of the financial summary and the Commission’s disclosure requirements.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] (R-IA), 2026-07-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Securities exemption for rural broadband companies: benefit, low. This bill would let certain rural telephone companies that offer broadband avoid registration under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act. To qualify, an issuer would have to file a financial summary form with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after its fiscal year ends…

## Related bills

- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-2355: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act
- 119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-1711: STOP China Act

## Sources
- [119-s-5003 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5003)

## Related
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-1541: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1541)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-2355: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2355)
- [119-s-3597: National Quantum Initiative Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3597)
- [119-s-1711: STOP China Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1711)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5003 (as of 2026-08-02).